I've lost a lot of weight over the last few months, increased my exercise levels from nothing to an average 90 to 120 minutes per week. Joined a gym, taken up cycling and started swimming but I'm having problems losing the last 11 pounds. Somone recommended increasing my exercise levels further which I did for three weeks yet still no weight loss. Has my body reached it's limits or am I looking at this all wrong? I've also just started the sober for October challenge to see if this kick starts the weight loss.

9 Replies

Wonderful news that you have just about reached your goal. Many congratulations. What works for me is eating a couple of hundred more calories for two days and then revert back to my usual eating habits for the rest of the week. It tends to trick those enzymes into working a little harder and not being so lazy! It may not work for everyone but it produces results for myself. Good luck and once again great work.

Hi Steeevestar, I'm in the same situation and have been now for 6 weeks! I'm eating healthily and exercising for an hour a day (in two half hour sessions or swimming), and it's become frustrating, so you mustn't think that you are alone. I've increased my intake of food (still healthy) for the last 3 days and plan to do the same for the weekend and on Monday I plan to revert to my reduced calories again. I've been told that this may help to get my calorie burning started again! It may be worth a try!!!!

But are you setting a realistic goal? They recommend 2lb a week because your body needs to get used to the idea. the reason most of us put the weight back on is we stop the strategies that helped us lose in the first place. when you reach target, surely the thing to do is keep watching your intake and keep up a bit of exercise. Not so much as when you were losing weight but enough to keep stable.

I've lost an average of 1 lb a month. It's taken a long time but it's worth it and I don't feel under any strain.

When you reach target weight you cant go back to the old ways. You can ease off but still need to watch you intake for life.

Sober October is great. Alcohol is empty calories. They do you no good at all, and alcohol slows your metabolism so you wont burn them off as well. There's 400 in a pint and nearly as many in a glass of wine, so 3 of those is more or less your daily "allowance". Don't substitute fruit juice either, that's high cal too.

Congratulations on your weight loss so far! You sound like you have worked so hard! Like the other posts I suggest you maybe vary things a bit? Do you do the same things when you exercise? could you try more intensity or interval training?? how about trying a new type of exercise?

Many thanks to all of the replies. To answer Fenbadger question, my recommended weight should be 13st 2lbs, my target is 15 stone so there should be plenty in the tank! I know I'll still be overweight but I was over 19 stone roughly five months ago and just wanted to lose that last little bit of my stomach area and I'll be happy with myself.

Looking at my notes, I could do with changing my food habits and seeing if this kick starts the weight loss again. My exercise programme is changed weekly, I.E i do not exercise on the same nights each week, nor do the same exercise activity. The only thing I may try is exercising in the mornings and not at night.

Many people hit a bit of a plateau at some point on their weight loss journey.

One thing to bear in mind is that your daily calorie deficit is less of a deficit as your body weight reduces, because one aspect of the calorie requirement of your body is taking in enough calories to maintain your body weight. So, as you get lighter, you need less calories to do that.

As your fat burning / fat storage functions are controlled by hormones, these can easily be impinged upon by factors such as stress, sleeplessness, infections and lots of other things too. Sometimes, just having a cold for a few days can cause a plateau.

Also, your body is only too good at getting used to training regimes. Instead of new habits of eating / activity being new, your body kind of normalises these and they tend to have less impact. Varying your activity and regimes to give your body something to think about and have to deal with, might just be the answer.

Ever so well done on your weight loss so far - I bet you feel almost like you're in someone else's body compared to when you started!